Current-collecting device



c. BETHEL ET AL CURRENT COLLECTING DEVICE .Filed July, 5, 1922 2- sheetsshet 1 INVENTORS Cbw 567%2/ and 7570mm: 5. Saab.

ZATTORNEY v Mar. 13, 1923.

, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed July 5 M S m 2 m wa n I i A w Wd 0 2e 0m IMIYMM mm! .1

'WITNESSES:

Patented Mar. 13, 1923. UNITED STATES.PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUDE BETHEL, OF WILKINSBURG, AND THOMAS S. SOOTT, OF PITTSBURGH, PENN SYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS T WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COM- PANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CURRENT-COLLECTING DEVICE.

Application filed July 5, 1922. Serial No. 572,859.

T 0 all whom it may come m: construction of the entire device is mate- Be it known that we, CLAUDE Bn'rHnL, a rially simplified and strengthened. 55 citizen of the United States, and a resident Another ObJect of our invention is to proof lVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny vide a brush holder which is provided with and State of Pennsylvania, and THOMAS S. means for preventing the displacement of SUOTT, a itiz f the United States, and a the brush-pressure pistons or plungers when resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of the manifold is detached. 60 Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have A still further object of our invention is to invented a new and useful Improvement in provide brush holder which. in addition to Current-Collecting Devices,of which the folthe features hereinbefore enumerated, eml j j a ifi ti bodies relatively few parts, is of less weight Our invention relates to current-collecting and occupies less space than devices of the 65 devices and it has particular relation to general type previously employed for the brush holders for electric railway motors, purpose, has a minimum amount of overand the like. hang, is of very rugged construction and b One of the objects of our invention is to means of which brush members of less widtfi provide a brush holder, of the character dethan has heretofore been practiceable may be 70 scribe-d, which embodies fluid-pressure utilized. mechanism by means of which substantially In the accompanying drawings:

uniform pressure will be exerted upon the Figure 1 is a view, partially in side eleseveral brush elements, whereby a more posivation and partially in vertical section, of a tive and efficient electrical contact will be portion of the current-collecting elements 75 effected between the brush members and the of a dynamo-electric machine embodying commutator cylinder and the uneven wear of brush holders constructed in accordance with the various parts materially reduced. our invention.

Another ob ect of our invention is to pro- 1 1g. 2 1s a vertical transverse sectional vide a device, of the character described, View, taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1 and 80 which embodies a fluid-pressure device that illustrating the brush holder and pressure is removably secured in position for condevice in front elevation.

venient access to the brush members and Fig. 3 is a plan View of the brush holder which not only substantially encloses the upillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. per portion of the brush boxes, to exclude Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of 85 dust and foreign matter therefrom, but perthe bolt or latch member which detachablv mits of the employment of brush boxes hav-- secures the brush pressure device of the ing continuous side walls, thereby providing brush holder in operative position.

greater contact surface for the brush mem- Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view, on a berg larger scale, through one of the compressed to A further object of our invention is to air cylinders and illustrates the spring clip provide an efficient air-tight slip-joint conby means of which the respective brush-presnection between the compressed air pipes sure pistons are prevented from becoming and the manifold elements of the pressure displaced when the pressure device is redevice, by means of which the manifold moved from the machine. and its associated parts may be quickly Fig. 6 is an end view of the compressed and easily removed from the machine, as an air cylinder shown in Fig. 5.

5 entirety, to provide access to the brush mem- Referring to the drawings, a portion of a bers for the purpose of replacement or redynamo-electric machine is illustrated as pairs comprising, 1n general, a rocker ring 1 which A still further object of our invention is supports a plurality of brush holders 2 and to provide a brush holder, of the character brush members 3 carried thereby, for coop- 50 set forth, in which the various pipes that eration with a commutator cylinder 4.

supply compressed air to the several mani- The rocker ring 1 preferably consists of a folds and brush-pressure pistons, also funccentrally disposed annular member 5 and a tion as electrical conductors, whereby the plurality of outer reinforcing ring portions 6,

C II

of slightly less diameter, which are secured thereto at intervals, and in spaced relation thereto, by means of arms or web portions 7 which are preferably formed integral with the member 5 and rings 6. The periphery of the member 5 is provided with gear teeth 8 by means of which the ring 1 and the current-collecting cevices 2 may be shifted circumferentially, by any suitable mechanism. not shown, in order to adjust the brush members with respect to the axis of commutation of the machine. v

The arms 7 are provided with lugs or bosses :9 to which brushholder-supporting studs 10 suitably secured. Each of the brush holders 2 comprises a bracket portion 11, which is adapted to be secured to the studs 10 by, means of atransverse clamping bar 12 and bolts 13. The forward side of the bracket. portion 11 is provided, with a sub stantially rectangular housing; 14-. which is subdivided, into a plurality of compartments or brush boxes 15 in which the brush members are slidably mounted. itnarc shield 16, in the form of a relatively thin flange, is provided adjacent to the lower portion of the housing. 1%. and extends rearwardly between the commutator cylinder 41- and the lower extremity of the stud 10 for the purpose of'minimizing any tendency for an arc to become established therebetween.

A pneumatic brush-pressure device. indicated as a whole at 17 is detachably secured to the bracket 11 directly above the housing 1e, by means of a plurality of bolt or latchmembers 18. The pressure device 17 preferably comprises a transversely extend ing rear wallor flange 19 which is provided with a plurality of radially extending cylinders 20, each of which is disposed substantially in line with one of the brush boxes 15 and within which plungers 21 are slidably mounted.

The lower extremities of the plungers 21 are provided with head portions 22 which are adapted to bear against the upper edges of the brush members 3 to maintain them in yieldable engagement with the surface of. the commutator cylinder 4t, as will be hereinafter set forth. The rear surface of the wall 19 is provided with a tranversely extending rib 23, which engages a channel 24- that is provided in the forward face of the bracket 11 and prevents the pressure device from turning about the latch members .18. lhe pressure device is thus securely maintained in proper position with respect to the brush holder.

The cylinders 20 are each provided with a sleeve or bushing 25, which is spaced therefrom by means of a sleeve 26, of insulating material, (Fig. 5) for the purpose of diminishing the tendency for eddy currents to be set up within the walls of the cylinders.

the manifold 27., nin le 28 and i Communication is established between the several cylinders 20, adjacent to the upper.

portions thereof by means of a transversely extending header member or manifold 2 which provided with arearwardly extending nipple 28. The nipple 28 extends within and slidably engages a tubular connection or socket :29 that'is provided on the upper portion of the bracket 11. The nipple 28 is pref erably provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves 30, which function as a seal to prevent the leakage of air in the vicinity of the joint.

Compressed air or other fiuid under pressure, is supplied to the cylinders 20 through socket 29 from a pipe 31 which is secured to the socket 29 by means of a union The pipe 31 is preferably of resilient construction to per mit of a slight amount o alative movement between the parts in order to prevent the vibration of the machine from causing any of the connections to work loose. The pipes 31 of the p; cssure devices of the respective brush holders alternately communicate with annular pipes or conduits 33, which are disposed concentrically with respect to the rocker 1 and which are secured thereto by'means of transverse clamping; bars 3 and bolts 35. The conduits 33, in turn, communi cats with a suitable source of fluid pressure. not shown. I

The various parts hereinbefore described. unless otherwise specified, are-constructed of conducting material and in addition to supplying; compressed air to the lini'ush-pressure devices. function to provide a current path to or from the several brushes.

The latch members 18 each comprise a shank portion 36 whicheiztends rearwardly through an aperture 27 that is provided in a lug; The lug 38 is carried by the upper portion of the bracketmember 11 and the shank is provided with transversely eX- tendinp: head portion of substantially l"- shape. The rear surfaceof the lug}; 38 is provided with a relatively shallow groove or recess d0. which functions a for the head 39 of the latch member to prevent the accidental displacement thereof during); the operation of the machine. Theforward end of the shank 36 isprovided with a knob or handle ii that is providedwith a substanticlly tubular hub portion 42 which surrounds the shank 36 in spaced relation with respect thereto.

.ir coil spring; 4.3 embraces the shank 3d of the latch member and is disposed within the tubular hub portion 42 and. between the wall 19 of the pressure device and the knob 41 of the latch member. Thespring 4:3 functions to resiliently m aintain the head portion 39 in engagement with the seat 4E0.

If it is desired to remove the pressure d vice from the brush holder, for the purpose of obtaining access to the brush members, the shank 36 of the latch 18 is forced rearwardly, against the action of the spring 43, sufliciently to disengage the head 39 thereof from the notch 40. The latch may then be rotated substantially 90 or sufliciently to cause the head 39 to register with the aperture 37 in the lug 38, in which position the head may be withdrawn through the aperture, and the pressure device removed from the machine as an entirety.

The lower extremity of each of the cylinders 20 is preferably rovided with a re silient clip or leaf spring 44, the arms of which are adapted to grip the head 22 of the plunger when the same is pressed upwardly therebetween to prevent the displace ment of the plungers when the pressure device is removed from the machine.

By means of the previously described construction, a very compact and efficient brushholder mechanism is provided that not only insures uniform brush pressure but which embodies a very rugged and substantial system of electrical connections that are adapted to withstand the severe operating conditions incidental to electric railway service.

e claim our invention:

1. A current-collecting device comprising a brush holder adapted to support a brush member for co-operation with a rotating contact member, and a fluid-pressure device carried by said brush holder for yieldingly maintaining said brush member in engagement with said rotating contact member.

2. A current-collecting device comprising a brush holder adapted to support a brush member for co-operation with a rotating contact member, a fluid-pressure device removably carried by said brush holder for yieldably maintaining said brush holder in engagement with said contact member, and a latch mechanism for detachably securing said pressure device in operative position.

3. A current-collecting device comprising a brush holder adapted to support a brush member for co-operation with a rotating contact member, a fluid-pressure device removably carried by said brush holder for yieldably maintaining said brush member in engagement with said contact member, a conduit for supplying fluid under pressure to said pressure device, a tubular extension i carried by said pressure device for detachable engagement with said conduit to establish couununication therebetween, and means for removably securing said pressure device in operative position. 7

4. A current-collecting device comprising a brush holder adapted to support a brush member for co-operation with a rotating contact member, a fluid-pressure device removably carried by said brush holder for yieldably maintaining said brush member in engagement with said contact member, a conduit for supplying fluid under pressure to said pressure device, said conduit being provided with a socket portion at one end thereof, a nipple carried by said device and adapted to slidably engage said socket to establish communication between said conduit and said pressure device, and means detachably maintaining said pressure device in operative position and said nipple in engagement with the socket portion of said conduit.

5. A current-collecting device comprising a brush holder adapted to support a brush member for co-operation with a rotating contact member, a fluid-pressure device removably carried by said brush holder for yieldably maintaining said brush member in engagement with said contact member, a conduit for supplying fluid under pressure to said pressure device, said conduit being provided with a socketportion at one end thereof, a pipe carried by said pressure device and adapted to slidably engage said socket to establish communication with said conduit, said pipe being provided with a circumferential groove adapted to coact with the inner surface of said socket to provide a fluid seal therebetween, and means for detachably maintaining said pressure device in operative position and said pipe in engagement with said socket portion.

6. In a current-collecting device comprising a plurality of brush holders adapted to support a brush member for co-operation with a rotating contact member, a plurality of fluid-pressure devices adapted to maintain said brush members in yieldable engagement with said rotating contact member and means for establishing fluid communication between said fluid-pressure devices and a common source of fluid pressure to maintain the pressure exerted by said devices upon said brush members substantially uniform.

7. A current-collecting device comprising a plurality of brush holders adapted tosupport a plurality of brush members for cooperation with a rotating contact member, a plurality of communicating cylinders disposed adjacent to said brush members, a i

piston disposed in each of said cylinders and in engagement with one of said brush members, and means for establishing fluid communication between each of said cylinders and a common source of fluid pressure to cause said pistons to exert substantially equal pressure upon said brush members.

8. A current-collecting device comprising a brush holder adapted to support a brush member for co-operation with a rotating contact member, a fluid-pressure device for maintaining said brush member in yieldable engagement with said contact member and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said pressure device to actuate the same and adapted to provide a current path for said brush member.

current-collecting device comprising a i 1 1 1,.'M}a+1t i; .1 sh a mum no tel acapteo o supper a rut .member Oreo-operating with a rotating contact member. a fluid-pressure device for n'iaintaining said brush n'iember in yieldable engagement with said contact member, and conduit of conducting l'i'iaterial adapted to supply "fluid under pressure to said pressure device and to provide a current path for said brush member.

10. A current-collecting device comprising a brush holder adapted to en aport a brush. member for co-operation with a rotating; contact member, a fluid-pressure device For maintaining said brush member in yieldable engagement with. said contact member and a yieldable conduit of conducting material adapted to supply fluid under pressure to said pressure device and to provide a current path for said brush member.

11. 'r't currentcollecting; device comprisinga brush holder adapted to support a brush member for co-operation with a rotating; contact member, a cylinder mounted adjacent to said brush holdenn piston di posed within-said cylinder and adapted to exert a yieldable pressure upon said brush member to maintain said brush in engagement with said. contactmember, means for removably securingsaid cylinder in operativeposition and means for preventing the displacement ofsaid piston from said cylinder when the cylinder is removed.

12. A current-collecting device comprisingz; brush holder adapted to support brush member for co-operation with a ro-- tilting contact member, a cylinder mountec adjacent to said brush holder. a. piston disposed within said cylinder and adapted to exert yieldable pressure upon said brush member to maintain said brush in engagement with said contact member, means for removably SECUFiDg said cylinder in operative position, and a spring clip adapted to engage said piston to prevent the displace- Y merit-thereof when said cylinder is removed.

A current-collecting device comprising; a'brush holder provided with a brush box adapted to support a brush member for co-operation with a rotating contact member and a fluidpressure device carried by said brush holder for yieldably maintaining said brush member in engagement with said contact" member and adapted to substantially close said brush box to exclude foreign matter therefrom.

A current-collecting device comprisa brush'holder adapted to support a plurality of brush members for co-operation 'wit-h a rotating contact member, plurality of fluid-pressure cylinders disposed adjacent tosaid brush members, a common header member'adapted to support said cylinders and to establish communication therebetween, and means for supplying'fiuid under pressure to said header member.

15. cuwent-collecting device comprising a brushiiolder adapted to support a brush member for co operation with ro-- tating contact member, a liuidepressure cylinder mount Ml a iljacent to said brush holder, a piston disposed within said cylinder and adapted to maintain. said brush member in engagement with said contact member. means for supplying. fluid under pressure to cylinder and adapted to provide a current path or said brush member, and means for insulatn said piston from; said cylinder to prevent the production of eddy. currents therein.

16. ii, current-collecting device. comprising roclrer ring, a pluralityof brush holders carried thereby andadapted to. support a plurality of brush members for co-operation with a rotating contact member, a fluidpressure device carried by each of saidbrush holders-and adapted toyieldably maintain said brush members in engagement with said rotating contact member, a conduit carried by said rocker ring and conforming to the curvature thereof, and a flexible connection adapted to establish fluid communication between each of saidpressure devices and said conduit.

17. A current-collecting device comprising a brush holder adapted to support. abrush member for co-operation with a rotating contact member, aifluid-pressuredevice for yieldably maintainino said brush member in engagement with said rotating contact niember, means for supplying. fluid underpressure-to said pressure device and a flexible conduit adapted toconnect said fluid-supplying means to said pressure device and to permit a certain, amount of relative movement thorebetween.

18nd current-collecting device comprising a rocker ring, plurality of brush holders carried thereby and adapted to support a plurality o-l brush members forcooperation with a rotating contact member, a-I'fiuid pressure device carried by each of saidbrllsh holders and adapted to yielda-bly maintain said bruslrmembers in engagement with said rotating contact member, a conduit carriedby said rocker ring and adapted to supply fluid under pressure to SELldJPIBS- sure device, and a plurality of flexible'connections adapted to establish communication between said conduit and said pressure device and to permit of a certain amount of relative movement therebetween.

19nd current-collecting devicecomprising a brush holder adapted to support a brush -member for .co-operation With-a r0-' tating contact member, a. fluid-pressure device detachably mounted on said brush holder and adapted to yiel'dingly maintain said brush member in engagement with said rotating contact member, a bolt slidably mounted on said pressure device for detachable engagement with said brush holder and means for resiliently maintaining said bolt in engagement therewith.

20. A current-collecting device comprising a brush holder adapted to support a brush member for co-operation with a rotating contact member, a. fluid-pressure device d etachably carried by said brush holder and adapted to yieldingly maintain said brush member in engagement with said rotating contact member, a lug carried by said brush holder, a bolt slidably mounted on said pressure device and provided with a head portion at one end thereof adapted to releasably engage said lug, an operating handle secured to the other end of said bolt, and a spring carried by said bolt and adapted to yieldably maintain the head portion thereof in engagement with said lug.

21. A current-collecting device comprising a brush holder adapted'to support a brush member for co-operation with a rotating contact member, a fluid-pressure device removably carried by said brush holder for maintaining said brush member in engagement with said rotating contact member, a lug carried by said brush holder and provided with an elongated aperture therein, a bolt rotatably and slidably mounted on said pressure device and provided with a CLAUDE BETHEL. THOMAS s. SCOTT. 

